New Buick Verano will let you have the good life without flaunting it
Scott Burgess
There's a movement under way. It's all around us.
Opulent luxury has become passé, if not outright immoral. Those people with all the money and all the power have become moving targets for the disgruntled, the outraged, the 99 percenters.
That's why 1 percenters should seriously consider occupying a 2012 Buick Verano, a compact car crammed with luxury appointments but in a more acceptable manner for the masses. (The fact that it's U.S. built helps as well.) Banksters and protesters alike can appreciate the Verano's understated sumptuousness.
Powered by General Motors Co.'s 2.4-liter dual overhead cam Ecotec engine, the Verano provides a solid ride, a new easy-to-use infotainment system, really comfortable seats and just enough razzle-dazzle to impress some but go unnoticed by others. It's exactly the kind of machine ideal for fat cats on their way to their corporate jets or well-heeled hippies headed to the weekend commune.
In either case, the driver will notice a well-planted car with a suspension that gobbles up big bumps with ease. Buick used GM's Watts Z-link rear suspension as a way to free up space, shed a few pounds and still provide a well-mannered drive. The sedan, while heavy at 3,300 pounds, handles well through quick corners. The electric power steering system, which most carmakers are beginning to use to help save fuel, is well-weighted and provides just enough connection to the road that you can feel downright sporty.
Driving a fine line
During a 250-mile drive, the Verano handled itself well through mountain roads and effortlessly on highways. The steering wheel also had a nice weighty feel to it and quick return to center. There were times on mountain roads that it was fun.
It's a fine line that Buick straddles with its volume vehicles. Sometimes more sportiness is not better. Buick means something different to consumers. There's room in the lineup for a sporty sedan, something the Buick Regal GS does very well. It's the best Pontiac in Buick's fleet. But for me, a Buick needs to keep some of its classic Buick qualities, while embracing the future at the same time. Kind of like Capitalism 2.0 for cars without all of that pesky regulation.
Wind noise at a minimum
The Verano manages to capture both the past and the present without much compromise in between.
First, the Verano is Buick quiet. It has a laminated windshield and front side window to beat back much of the wind noise. It has triple-sealed doors and more sound-deadening material than many recording studios. The headliner has five layers of acoustic linings, each designed to absorb, displace or move sound away from the cabin.
From hydraulic engine mounts to specially tuned air intakes, every decibel is meticulously monitored to create a quiet cabin. The people in the back seat could never get away with a whisper campaign against the driver.
A classy interior
Some of the soundproofing helps make the interior nicer, such as the cloth wrapped around the A pillars. In fact, the Verano's interior package is extremely pleasing, without being crass. The front seats are larger than most compact cars offer, making it comfortable for even fatter cats behind the wheel. (One of the tricks Buick engineers and designers used was replacing the hand emergency brake with an electronic emergency break. Technically speaking, this is an expensive feature that carmakers avoid whenever possible. But the electronic emergency break allowed the center console to be thinner and thus the front seats wider.)
Throughout the cabin, the interior feels solid and luxurious. The biggest disappointments were the instrument gauges, which look more like toys with a flat, overly plastic feel to them and not worthy of this sedan. It also took a few minutes to locate the push-button start, which is on the Verano's center stack and is square, but that's something any driver would get accustomed to quickly. The brown Choccachino leather-trimmed interior looks stunning.
Additionally, the Verano features Buick's newest infotainment system, known as IntelliLink, with Bose Premium Audio and OnStar. IntelliLink uses a full-color LED touch screen to help operate a driver's smartphone. It uses easy-to-understand icons to help navigate the system. The car's amazing ability to block outside noise only makes the stereo that much better.
The IntelliLink allows the car's system to operate some apps found on smartphones such as Pandora and Stitcher, both big audio apps that play music and radio programs on demand.
The clarity was so good that I finally understood — via Stitcher — that Phil Hendrie is sometimes sarcastic on his program.
Character, but not brash
Now, as to the car's looks. No one is going to pelt it with water bottles or fire tear gas at it. The Verano is sharply designed with elegant curves and a steep windshield. It has lots of little pieces of sparkle around it, including those somewhat silly hood vents. It's not overly aggressive but it's certainly not bland.
The big grille and bluish projector beam headlights give it a pronounced face with character.
The chrome trim around the windows and big 18-inch wheels add just enough polish to the car's silhouette that makes it crisp and clean.
The exterior looks nice, but certainly nothing brash or in your face.
New face of luxury
Luxury has taken on a new meaning in America and Buick seems to have found a sweet spot in that bigger meaning. In part, because it has always resided there, it's just taken a while for 99 percent of us to catch up.
Buick used to be considered the doctor's car, one that fell somewhere between over the top and basic transportation. The idea was that if a doctor showed up to a house call in a Cadillac, he charged too much. If he showed up in a Chevrolet, he wasn't that good of a doctor. But if he showed up in a Buick, he knew about luxury but chose not to flaunt it. (This doesn't change the fact that the spacious 15.2 cubic feet of trunk space can easily carry a couple of sets of golf clubs.)
It's OK to make money. It's OK to have some luxuries in your life. It's OK to protest inequities.
And it's certainly OK to own a Verano. It's affordable luxury that everyone can support — all 100 percent of us.
Source: The Detroit News
